Display rack



Jan. 20, l925 1,523,875

M. E. ISEMAN ET AL DI SPLAY RACK Filed Feb. 25, 1924 il MYER E. ISN AND JOHN K. HUGHAM, 0F VIALIA,`CALIFORNI, ASSIGNU ONE-THIRD T MARC HAROLD ISEE/IAN, F VISAL1A,GALH`UBNIA.

DISPLAY RACK.

Application tiled February 23, 1924:; Serial No. 694,590.

To @ZZ whom z't man] concern.'

e it known that we, MYER E. ISEMAN and JOHN` K. HOUGHAM, citizens of the Ilnited States, residing at Visalia, in the county of Tulare and State 0f California, have `invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display Racks, of which the' following is a specification.

@ur invention relates to that class of display racks which comprise a compact and easily movable structure provided with shelves arranged to support and display the goods in convenient and attractive manner.

rIhe object of our invention is to provide a light, strong and rigid rack, with shelves particularly adapted for different goods land. for various and attractive aggregations thereof, of diderent sha-pes and piles, or in suitable containers according to the nature of the goods, the shelves being arranged to display the merchandise to the best advantage and to render it easily accessible, the whole device being neat and sanitary.

To this end our invention consists in the novel display rack which we shall hereinafter fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of our display rack.

Fig., 2 is a perspective view of one of they shelves.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section, enlarged, and 'brokemof the rack.

Fi 4.- is a detail section of the frame-wall showing its strap border. 1 is the frame-wall o-f the rack, which in practice is best made of light matched boards, bound with metallic straps 2, giving by their overlap an appearance of solidity, in addition to border protection. These projecting straps also serve as one of the several fastening points for the skeleton shelf frames. In the present case We have shown merely for illustration six of these shelfframes, three being on one side of the wall 1 and three on the other, though it will be understood that according to the size of the rack, the shelf frames may be in greater o-r less number, and may be on both sides of the wall or on only one side according to the location of or space available for the rack.

These skeleton frames are alike in structure, and each is formed of metallic angled straps with their angles facing upwardly, so that one Wing of the angle forms a horizontal shelffsupporting. ledge, while the other win forms an uprisin confining stop.

'I e' lowerinost ske eton frames, one on each side of the wall 1, are designated by the numeral 3, and these together form the stable base or foot of the rack, and carry the casters 4, by which the rack is given ready portability. In practice these foot frames 3 are wider than the overlying skeleton frames, the latter being designated by 5, the

object of 'this being to enable the goods displayed upon the foot frames to be brought forward into better view. flach skeleton frame is well strengthened by an underlying cross brace 6, and by dia onal end braces 7,

and each is rigidly secure to the frame wall 1 and its border strap 2.

Associated with each skeleton frame is a shelf 8, though for convenience and to avoid unnecessary multiplication of illustration we have herein omitted some of the shelves. 'Ihe lowermost shelves are wide ito t a foot frame 3 and the others narrow to be received by the upper frames 5.

These shelves removably rest within the 8o angled frames, and are adapted for reversal therein, that is, bottom for top and top for bottom, according to the nature of the ob- ]ects to be placed upon them. One face of the shelf is perfectlysmooth. The other S5 face has secured upon it at each end a cleat 9, and it also has intervening stilfening cross cleats 10, which are piv'oted to the shelf at 11, to enable them to swing to an angle for a purpose to be presently men 90 tioned. These cleats 9 and 10, when the shelf is turned to present them downwardly, lie upon the supporting wings of the angled skeleton frame, and they are thick enough to raise the shelf so that its smooth opposite face, now the top face, lies flush with top edges of the upright angle, or stop wing, while the edges of the shelf lie snugly within said stop wings. Upon the smooth face of the shelves, in this position, goods may be displayed, of such nature and in such aggregati'ons and forms and sha-pes of piles or pyramids as may be adapted for such a supporting surface. But for other goods and other desired heaps, or for conlos tainers for such goods, the shelf is reversed, so that its cleats 9 and 10 are now uppermost, while the shelf itself lies well down Evithin the angled border 0f its skeleton rame.

In this position the several cleats H0 lend themselves as divisional markers to define possible separate piles of objects d1s played; and if containers such as are 1nd1- cated by 12 are used to hold and protect the goods, under glass or screen covers, said containers may be lset at an inclination, their forward base edges resting agalnst the stopwings of the skeleton frame and their rear base edges resting against the wall 1. The reason for pivoting the intervening cross cleats 10 will now be seen. Since they must be long enough to rest thelr ends upon the slreleton frames, when the shelf is turned down, said ends would be in the way of the containers when the shelf is turned up, unless the containers were made small enough to fit in between them. But this arrangement would not look well, as the containers would be separated by unsightly spaces, nor would the full capacity of the shelf be utilized. But by pivoting said cross cleats 10 tbe may be swung to an angle as shown in 4igs. 1 and 2 to remove their forward ends from the vicinity of the skeleton frame stop border and thus present n0 obstruction to the forward base edges of the containers resting squ-arel and fully against the stop wing of said rame, and, moreover, the containers may thus fit closely together and fill the full ength of the shelf.

As before stated the lowermost or foot shelves are relatively wide. This will enable containers such as are indicated byv 13 to be brought more to the front, and to be in plain sight with minimum interference from overlying displays. Accordingly, in orderto support the rear base edge of such a forwardly -positioned container, thus removed from possible support by the wall 1, we provide ytemporary supports for said rear base edge. These supports consist of angled ledges 14, Fig. 3, having stems 15 which are removably fitted in sockets 16, in the shelf. The entire display rack is attractively surfaced say, for example, by a coating of white enamel, and the several containers are likewise treated. The device is light and yet stron and may be easily moved from place to p ace.

We claim:

1. A dis lay rack comprising a frame wall; a ske eton frame with upwardly facing angled border, secured to and projecting from said frame wall; and a shelf adapted to be removably su ported within the angled border of said s eleton frame, said shelf having one face smooth and its opposite face provided `with cross olea adapted to rest upon said angled border said cleats bein at each end of the shelf and between said ends, the cleats between the ends being pivoted to the shelf adaptin them to be turned. to an angle to the shell width.

2. A displa. rack comprising a frame wall; a plura 'ty of skeleton frames with upwardly facin angled borders secured to and roJecting rom said frame wall in vertical y spaced relation, the lowermost skeleton frame forming the rack base; and a shelf adapted to be removably supported within the angled border of each of said skeleton frames, each of said shelves having one face smooth and its opposite face provided with cross cleats ada ted to rest upon said angled border, said c eats bein at each end of the shelfy and between said ends, the cleats between the ends being pivoted to the shelf adapting them to be turned to an angle to the shelf width.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

MYER E. ISEMAN. s JOHN K. HOUGHAM. 

